Efficient Manuals

on writing graduate dissertations and thesis papers.

Free Tutorial on Creating a Dissertation in a Matter of Days

Have you ever had the deadline of an assignment creep up on you, and it was due before you know it? This commonly happens with dissertations. Since they have such lengthy deadlines, college students put them off and the deadline sneaks up before anyone realizes it. The good news is that there is something you can do, even if your work is due in just a few days.

3 Easy Steps

Step 1: Don’t Start from Scratch

If you are going to be rushing through your work, you want to forget about the potential to learn from your assignment and choose something you are familiar with. While you will still need to come up with an original topic, you should pick something you have a solid foundation in so the research you need to do (which can take days alone on some projects) is minimal.

Step 2: Borrow Sources

The Internet can be a wealth of information and a wealth of sources if you know where to look. Check online publications, libraries, and other reputable websites. If you come across a source that may not be considered credible, scroll down and review their sources. See if there is something you can borrow to find reliable evidence for the information they are providing. .

Step 3: Check the Online Library

Even if you go to a traditional school, there is a good chance they have an online library where you can access books and important papers. You will probably not have time to go and physically look for sources so this is one of the easiest ways to find what you need for your thesis.

Make a Quick, then a Thorough Outline

Instead of worrying about headings and subheadings once you write out the rough draft, add them in the outline. This serves two purposes. First, it helps you organize your writing in the same way that you will have it in the rough draft for easier transfer. Second, it helps break up your project so it doesn’t seem so intimidating.

Once you have the headings and subheadings, make short sentences about your main points. The thorough outline will be used to transfer information directly to your first rough draft. By replacing a written rough draft with a thorough outline, you can save the time you would need to write out a lengthy draft.

Create Your Reference Page as You Go

Creating a reference page can be incredibly tedious, especially on a lengthy project like your thesis. Instead of saving this to the end, add each source as you go. You can type these into the computer and alphabetize them if you would like, eliminating the need to make a draft for them.

Don’t start worrying yet if you only have a few days until your dissertation is due. Take a few breaths and start moving down the steps on this list. Following these steps will help you get your work done quickly (but still well), even when there is a deadline looming over you.

Tackle the Writing Portion

If you are working on a tight deadline, you should type your first draft directly in your computer. If you were specific enough with your outline, this should be easy enough to do. Not only does typing directly in the computer save the time that you would need to write out the first draft, it makes it easier to edit and allows you to create the final draft of your work sooner.